Aside from the usual defense that “it’s all pink in the middle,” researchers in Canada and the US monitored hundreds of couples to find out if there were any differences in the level of commitment between civil unions and marriage. The two studies published in the January issue of Developmental Psychology gathered evidence to support the integrity of civil unions and have challenged the traditional, truly antiquated, claim that same sex relationships are more dysfunctional than heterosexual ones. In one study, researchers working together from the Universities of San Diego, Vermont, and Washington found that, in general, same sex couples fought less and felt better about their partners than their heterosexual counterparts. Moreover, the study conducted at the University of Urbana-Champaign learned that lesbians were, “especially effective at resolving conflict.” Bonus points for the ladies! After years of scrutiny, both research teams concluded that gay couples in civil unions and married straight couples were equally committed to their romantic relationships. Now if only the rest of the world could see them as being created equal! [Forbes]
